Can opener



Nov. 25, 1941.

M. J. ZIMMER CAN OPENER Filed Now). 15. 1940 ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE CAN OPENER Myron J. Zimmer, Chicago, Ill.,- assignor to The Edward Katzinger Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application November 13, 1940, Serial No. 365,447

Claims. (01. 30-15) The present invention relates to can openers of the type disclosed and claimed in a copending application, Serial No. 235,885, filed October 19, 1938, including a traction wheel adapted to engage the underside of the bead of a can to be opened, and a cutter movable to and from operative relationship with said wheel, and vice versa, to pierce the head end of the can and to sever the head end from the can wall thereof. In a device of this character it is desirable that means be provided for holding the cutter in operative relation with the wheel during the can opening operation without need for continuous manually applied pressure on the cutter operating means.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide means on the cutter operat ing lever arranged to initially engage a projection on the cutter when the latter is in cutting position whereby the cutter is locked in cooperating relation with the traction wheel to firmly hold and support the can and the operating lever itself is locked against movement until manually disengaged from said projection. Thus the operator may be relieved of further attention to the operating lever with reasonable assurance that the can will not accidentally free itself while undergoing the opening process.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be apparent, this invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a can opener as provided by the present invention, with parts in dotted line to indicate the same in inoperative position.

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation thereof when viewed in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan View thereof.

Reference being had more particularly to the drawing, It indicates a frame on which the The wheel I4 is operally from the side of the frame It] opposed to the side thereof against which the wheel 84 opcrates. The crank I1 is preferably provided with a handle, such as the handle l8 shown in the drawing.

Pivoted to the frame ID, as at IE], is a plate or lever 20 having a flange 2| overhanging but adaptedto clear the upper longitudinal edge of the frame l0 sufiiciently to permit limited swinging movement of the lever 29. A blade or cutter 22 projects downwardly from the flange 2! in a plane somewhat beyond the plane of the outer face of the traction wheel I4, and this cutter is adapted to be moved to and from a position overlapping the upper peripheral portion of said wheel it when the lever 20 is swung downwardly and toward said wheel. The lever 28 is adapted to be operated or driven to swing toward and away from said wheel M by means of an operating lever 25 pivoted to the frame ill as at 26 for swinging movement about an axis spaced from but substantially parallel to the axis of the lever 29. Driving connection between said levers 2!! and 25 is preferably effected through teeth 23 on the inner end of the lever 26 adapted to mesh with similar teeth 24 provided on the operating lever 25. The outer end of the operating lever 25 is provided with a finger piece 2'1 by means of which the operator may apply finger pressure to swing the lever 25 to actuate the lever 20 and the cutter 22 as desired with reference to the wheel M, the latter thus occupying a position intermediate the axis of said levers 20 and 25.

In accordance with the usual method of opening cans in an opener of this type, the seam or bead created at the juncture of the side and head end of a can is placed over the wheel I4 so that the latter operates through its knurled edge l5, against the bottom edge of the can bead with the outer face portion of the traction wheel operating against the outer surface of the can side wall. The cutter 22 is then brought into contact with the head end of the can adjoining the bead by operating the lever 25 to 'depress the lever is and the cutter 22, to place the cutter 22 in con tact with the can top. Further depression of the finger piece 21 causes the cutter to pierce the head of the can, after which continued rotation of the crank I! and the traction wheel M in clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, effects rotation of the the can relative to the frame I8 and the head end of the can is thereby completely severed from the side wall thereof.

In can openers of this type it is desirable to maintain the can in supported position between the traction wheel l4 and the cutter 22 without the application of constant pressure on the finger piece 21. To this end, the present invention contemplates a hook-like extension on the operating member or lever 25 in the form of a lug 28 which is disposed at a distance from the axis 26 exceeding the distance from the axis 26 to the peripheral portion l5 of the traction wheel l4 overlapped by the cutter 22 when the latter is in cutting position. The inner surface of this hook-like extension or lug 28 is adapted to embrace an outwardly sprung lug 29 provided on the lever when the lever 20 is swung downwardly to position the cutter 22 in cutting position. It will be further observed that the engaging surface of the lug 29 is disposed on a line drawn from the axis 26 of the lever 25 to the aforesaid peripheral portion I5 of the traction wheel l4 overlapped by the cutter 22 which is intersected by a line from the axis |9 of the lever 20 to the aforesaid peripheral portion [5 of the wheel I4, at a point intermediate the axis I9 and said peripheral portion of the wheel M. This arrangement of the engaging surfaces of the lugs 28 and 29 causes the lug 28 to exert a force in the direction of the axis 26 against the lever 20 and its lug 29, and in a line substantially perpendicular to the line of upward force exerted by the teeth 23 of the lever 29 against the teeth 24 of the lever 25, which normally tends to cause the cutter 22 to be lifted from its engagement with the can bead. The cooperating surfaces of the lugs 28 and 29 are preferably provided with stepped or ofiset portions 30 and 3|, respectively,

which create a recessed portion in the operating lever lug 28 into which the projecting portion 3| of the lug 29 is adapted to be crowded. Thus the portions 30 and 3| coact to lock the cutter 22 in depressed and operative relation to the traction wheel M. Accordingly, while undergoing the cutting operation as well as after completion of the cutting operation, the can is firmly held and locked in suspended relation to the traction wheel l4 and cutter 22, without requiring application of pressure on the finger piece 21. The lugs 28 and 29, may, of course, be disengaged to permit movement of the lever 29 and cutter 22 upwardly and away from the traction wheel M for the purpose of freeing the can therefrom by slight lifting pressure applied to the underside of the finger piece 21 elfective to release the stepped portion 39 of the lug 28 from engagement with the stepped portion 3| of the lug 29.

A washer 32 carried on the pivot W of the plate 1 20, or other suitable means presenting an abutment or stop for limiting movement of the stepped portion 35] of the lug 28 downwardly past the stepped portion 3| of the lug 29, serves to prevent jamming of the lugs 28 and 29 due to accidental movement of the lever 25 beyond normal locking position with reference to the lever 29.

What is claimed is:

1. A can opener including a frame, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame, means for actuating said lever including an operating lever mounted on said frame for swinging movement about an axis substantially parallel to and spaced from the pivotal axis of said driven lever, a traction wheel supported on said frame for rotation about an axis intermediate the axes of said levers and in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of movement of said levers, a cutter on said driven lever, means through which the cutter is caused to move toward and across a peripheral portion of said traction wheel when said operating lever is swung toward said traction wheel and through which the cutter is caused to move away from and clear of said traction wheel when said operating lever is swung away from said traction wheel, and interlocking means on said levers for maintaining said levers in fixed relation when the cutter is disposed across the peripheral portion of the traction wheel including a member on said operating lever engageable with a complementary member on said driven lever at a distance from the axis of the operating lever exceeding the distance from said axis to the aforesaid peripheral portion of the traction wheel and on a line drawn from said axis to the point of engagement which is intersected by a line drawn from the axis of the driven lever to the aforesaid peripheral portion of the traction wheel at a point intermediate the axis of the driven lever and the aforesaid peripheral portion of the traction wheel.

2. A can opener according to claim 1 wherein the means for causing the cutter to move relative to said traction wheel includes interengaging teeth on said operating lever and driven lever.

3. A can opener according to claim 1 wherein the traction wheel has a knurled periphery adapted to operate under the bead of a can and the bead of the can is adapted to be firmly locked between the cutter and said traction wheel independent of pressure applied on said operating member through said interlocking means on said levers for maintaining the levers in fixed relation.

l. A can opener according to claim 1 wherein the locking member on the operating member comprises a hook-like extension and the locking member on the driven member comprises a projection adapted to be embraced by said hook-like extension on the operating member.

5. A can opener including a frame, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame, means for actuating said lever including an operating lever mounted on said frame for swinging movement from a raised position to a lowered position and vice versa, said operating lever having its pivotal axis in spaced relation to the axis of said driven lever, a traction wheel supported on said frame for rotation about an axis intermediate the axes of said levers and in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of movement of said levers, a cutter on said driven lever, means through which the cutter is caused to move downwardly and across a peripheral portion of said traction wheel when said operating lever is swung to a lowered position and through which'the cutter is moved upwardly and clear of said peripheral portion of the traction wheel when the operating lever is swung to a raised position, and a locking member on said operating lever adapted to engage a locking member on said driven lever when said operating lever is in lowered position at a point below the intersection of its arc of revolution by a line forming a continuation of a line drawn between the axis of said operating lever and the aforesaid peripheral portion of the traction wheel.

6. A can opener according to claim 5 wherein the locking member on said operating lever includes an extension formed integrally with said lever presenting a recessed surface against which the locking member on said driven lever is adapted to be crowded.

7. A can opener according to claim 5 wherein the locking member on the driven lever is normally sprung in the direction of the locking member on the operating lever when said locking members are in operative relationship.

8. In a can opener having a frame and a pair of coacting swingable levers, a traction wheel rotatably mounted on said frame, means for turning said traction wheel, and a cutter carried by one of said levers adapted to be moved from a position in radially spaced relation to the periphery of said wheel to a position in overlapping and spaced relation to a face of said wheel, and vice versa, in response to movement of said levers, and complementary means on said levers initially effective to lock the levers in fixed relation to the axis of said traction wheel when said cutter is in overlapping relation to said wheel.

9. In a can opener having a frame and a pair of coacting swingable levers, a traction wheel rotatably mounted on said, frame, means for turning said traction wheel, a cutter carried by one of said levers adapted to be moved from a position in radially spaced relation to the periphery of said wheel to a position in overlapping and spaced relation to a face of said wheel, and vice versa, in response to movement of said levers, and complementary means on said levers initially effective to lock the levers in fixed relation to the axis of said traction wheel when said cutter is in overlapping relation to said wheel including a recessed portion on one of said levers into which an outwardly sprung projection on the other of said levers is adapted to be crowded.

10. A can opener according to claim 1 wherein means coacting with the interlocking member on the operating lever are effective to obstruct movement of the interlocking member beyond its point of engagement with the complementary locking member on the driven lever.

MYRON J. ZIMMER, 

